The Process:The wet plate process was invented in the 1850's by Fredrick Scott Archer and involves flowing a special collodion liquid onto the plate (usually glass or black metal) and then sensitizing the plate in a bath of silver nitrate. Working inside a portable darkroom, the plate is loaded into the camera holder and then fitted to the camera ready for the exposure. The picture is taken using an exposure of between 5 and 30 seconds depending upon lighting conditions. The plate is then quickly developed inside the portable darkroom before 'fixing' in daylight and watching as the image appears. The process from flowing the plate to development needs to take place within about 15 minutes, with the plate still 'wet' from the silver bath. After washing and drying, the image on the plate is hot varnished to protect the emulsion.

Most of my photography is accomplished using original 19th century cameras and processes. However I can also use a modern digital camera disguised inside an original antique camera for special situations when the 'antique look' is required but where it is not practical to use the 'wet plate' process (see above and the SteamPunk gallery) I sometimes even dress in Victorian outfits to add a bit of realism to your event.

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